Finding a free VPN that works well and doesn't have a bad reputation for collecting and selling your data to third parties, or even for being an outright scam, can be difficult. A common adage about free online services says, "If something is free, you are the product," referring to services that collect and sell information about you and your online habits to data brokers and third parties for targeted online advertising opportunities.
Based on our in-depth testing, you should consider the following factors when choosing a free VPN:
- Support for the devices you use
- Enough data, speed, and server access for your needs
- Strong encryption and a reliable kill switch
- A clear privacy policy from a reputable provider
We've tested four of the most popular services and have selected the best free virtual private networks below.
If you'd like to learn more about VPN privacy, check out our article. If you're curious about VPN kill switches, check out our R&D article, which explores how they work and why some leak. And if you're looking for more platform-specific options, we've got you covered with recommendations for the best free VPNs for Windows and Android.
Since 2025, we've published reviews for over 20 different VPN services. These reviews followed months of research, test development, and collaboration among our engineers, testers, writers, photographers, and editors. Our process for each review involves extensive work behind the scenes, including rigorous checks and balances, to deliver the most accurate and useful test results so you can make the right purchasing decisions for your needs.
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Best Free VPN
Torrent3.0Private Browsing9.2Policies & Practices9.4Security8.6Speed0.0Data Limit:10 GBCountries:10See all our test resultsTested Simultaneous Connections:11Free VPNs are difficult to trust because they're often unproven, collect excessive user data, or rely on questionable business models. Windscribe Free stands out as a clear exception and is our top pick for the best free VPN. Its privacy and no-logs policies are clearly written and explicitly state that they don't log any user traffic, while also detailing exactly what data is collected for billing and enforcing device limits. You can create an account with just a username to receive 2GB of data per month, or add an email address to raise the limit to 10GB. According to Windscribe, the email address is used only for marketing communications. You can also create an anonymous account using a unique 32-character hash as your sole login, without requiring any personal information. Windscribe communicates regularly with users, operates independently, is open-source across all platforms, and frequently commissions rigorous third-party audits of its security infrastructure and policies surrounding privacy and no-logging.
In use, the VPN performs well. It reliably keeps your IP address and DNS requests within an encrypted tunnel and includes a dependable kill switch to keep you protected if your connection drops. Windscribe Free offers servers in 10 countries and supports a wide range of platforms. Unfortunately, however, Windscribe Free doesn't support torrenting, as they reserve that feature for the paid version. If you're comfortable with a monthly data cap and don't need to download torrents, it remains the best free VPN currently available.
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Best Free Unlimited VPN
Torrent4.9Private Browsing7.5Policies & Practices6.3Security8.6Speed7.2Data Limit:N/ACountries:1See all our test resultsTested Simultaneous Connections:1Proton VPN Free is the best free VPN with no data cap, but it has several limitations. Although its no-logging policy has been independently audited, the most recent audit had a narrow scope. It didn't cover Proton's broader privacy policies, which you must accept to create an account, nor were the auditors given access to the VPN's source code. Additionally, Proton's privacy policy and terms of service leave some ambiguity around what data they collect, how long it's retained, and when it's deleted.
From a technical standpoint, the VPN offers solid security and reliability. It encrypts your IP address and DNS requests and includes a functional kill switch. Unlike Windscribe Free, our top free VPN recommendation, Proton VPN Free doesn't let you choose a specific country to connect to. Instead, you're automatically connected to one of five server locations in Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, or the USA. Torrenting is also disabled, as it's reserved for Proton VPN's paid plans. Overall, if you're comfortable with these restrictions and the less transparent data handling practices, Proton VPN Free is a reasonable option if your main priority is a free VPN with no data limit for an extra layer of protection while browsing.
Notable Mentions
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Hotspot Shield Free:
Hotspot Shield Free has no usage limit and doesn't require you to make an account, so you can download and start using it right away. It's also one of the only free options that allows you to download torrents. Its privacy policies and business practices are awful, making Proton VPN Free a much better choice for handling your private information.
See our review
Recent Updates
Aug 05, 2026:
We've adjusted the introduction to make it easier to decide which free VPN service to choose. We've also made some minor adjustments in our picks for accuracy.
Jun 11, 2026:
We've reviewed our picks to ensure that they're still the best options, and haven't made any changes.
Apr 24, 2026:
We've updated this article to reflect that Windscribe now supports hashed account login. We've reviewed and verified that our current recommendations remain the best picks, and have tweaked the language in our Notable Mention for clarity.
Feb 19, 2026:
We've reviewed this article and haven't made any changes to our main picks, but we've added Hotspot Shield Free to the Notable Mentions section.
Jan 07, 2026:
We've updated our top pick from Hotspot Shield Free to Windscribe Free, as the latter offers significantly better privacy policies and business practices. We've also replaced the 'Best Free VPN With More Locations' category with the 'Best Free Unlimited VPN' category, with Proton VPN Free as the pick.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are currently the best free VPNs for most people. We only recommend VPNs with a clear, digestible privacy policy, a proven track record of protecting their customers' privacy, and acceptable security and speed. We also factor in feedback from our users and reputation within the community.
When choosing a VPN, consider what you need it for and understand its limitations. Depending on your risk profile, using one at all times is probably unnecessary. Modern websites, browsers, and devices have ample built-in security measures to protect you from the most common threats. If you want to learn more about today's industry standards for securing data on the internet, check out our articles on AES-256 encryption and Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA).
With that in mind, here's the list of all the free VPNs we've tested.